Google to discontinue Chrome browser plug-ins

New Delhi: Internet giant Google has announced to discard most of its Chrome browser plug-ins and instead opt for programming methods that use standards built directly into the Web, starting January 2014.

The decision to remove Netscape Plug-in API (NPAPI) compatibility from Chrome browsers was disclosed in a blog post by Justin Schuh, a Chrome security engineer on September 23. Following this decision Google plans to discard plug-ins such as Java, Silverlight and other lesser used plug-ins. However, Chrome's built-in Flash plug-in and PDF viewer will remain unaffected as they don't use NPAPI.

In his blog post Schuh revealed that the company came to this decision as NPAPI isn't used or supported on mobile phones, which is a growing Web user segment, and because the Mozilla Foundation is also planning to block NPAPI plug-ins in December 2013.

Recently Google also rolled out an updated version of its Chrome Browser for iOS 7. This new version of Chrome enables easy integration with other Google apps and makes it easier to launch these apps from the browser. It brings with it a new look and an array of feature enhancements for iOS 7 on the iPad and iPhone.